To Love Thy Friend Series of 4 related Vignettes
by Flowerlady
Summary: DN, Post DN,AU, Jag Fel and Shawnkyr Nuruodo discover love despite their diversity, Companion piece to Always Have, Always Will, interspecies romance
1. Chapter 1

**Titles:** 1: To Love Thy Friend, 2: Over the Mountain, 3: Love Will Prevail, 4: A Future of Promise  
**Author:** Flowerlady  
**Timeframe:** during and post-DN  
**Characters:** Jag/Shawnkyr  
**Genre:** AU, Romance, Angst, Vignette Series

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.  
**Summary:**Jag Fel and Shawnkyr Nuruodo discover despite their diversity they can find love.

**A/N:** This series of vignettes are companion pieces to my novel, _**Always Have, Always Will**_. You do not have to read that to understand this, but you should know that I have taken some liberties with the events of the _Dark Nest Trilogy_. First, I make the Killiks out to be the bad guys. The Jedi who were called to the hive was in a sense tricked by the Dark Jedi. In the process, the Jedi not only try to help get the "captured" Jedi free from the Killiks, but also help the Chiss. Also, the GFFA come to the aid of the Chiss which opens the door for the Chiss to join the GFFA. Finally, Jag is not shot down by Leia but rather becomes a hero when he helps destroy the Dark Nest

**Used with Permission:** Thevan (Shawnkyr's father), Marel (Shawnkyr's mother), although I changed the spelling to Merel, _Tako_—the pet name Shawnkyr refers to Jag along with it's meaning, and _Ailen Mel_—the pet name Jag refers to Shawnkyr along with it's meaning. I would like to thank **Inara **(a theforce . net author) for the use of these characters and the pet names that she has invented. She is a great author and I appreciate her generosity. Thanks…

_**Vignette One**_ (timeframe: immediately after the _Joiner King_)

_**To Love Thy Friend **_

He was whistling an old tune that he had heard his father whistle on occasion as he busied himself with putting clothing into the traveling case. He moved back to the closet to grab another shirt when her voice startled him.

"You are certainly happy about something."

Jagged Fel turned to find his mother stepping into his room and suddenly felt a pang of apprehension as she hit the door control, sending the door sliding closed. He pursed his lips, knowing whatever his mother had to say she wanted to say privately—not good.

Syal Antilles Fel, ex-holostar, moved with a grace and beauty Jag had seen few women possess. The only other he had encountered that even came close was probably Leia Solo. Syal came before the open suite case that lay open on his bed and picked up one of the shirts he had just packed. She opened it up and studied it. Jag watched her in silence; he knew she would speak when she was ready.

Finally, she refolded the shirt and placed it back as she said, "Jagged, we need to talk." Then she turned bright blue eyes to her son.

Jag took a deep breath, smiled weakly and walked over to sit on the edge of his bed. "I assumed so. What have I done to have you so concerned that you feel the need to study my shirts as if I will not return?"

Syal pushed the case back far enough from the edge to allow her room to sit beside him. Once settled she looked at him and quietly inquired, "Jagged, do you think this is wise?"

"What?"

She peered at him as if she was trying to determine the best way to say what was on her mind. Finally, after a sigh she said, "Going on another holiday with Shawnkyr?"

Jag stiffened, he had not expected this. "We have deserved the time off and we haven't been climbing for a long while. The weather this time of year is delightful in the Zarian Mountains. It's the perfect time to go hiking."

"Yes, but why not take Cem with you as well?"

Suddenly, Jag understood, it wasn't his holiday in the mountains of the temperate planet of Zaria that concerned his mother, it was his companion. He was immediately taken aback, "Mother, why is my traveling with Shawnkyr suddenly concerning you?"

Syal looked away a moment then stood and faced her son. As she looked down into his eyes she said sternly, "I am worried that you are treading on dangerously thin ice, my son."

Jag evenly responded; although, he had a feeling he knew where this was going, "And this concerns Shawnkyr?"

"Yes," she reached out and placed her hands on either side of Jag's shoulders. "Jagged, I fear that you have let your emotions carry you away. And I fear what will happen if you attempt to explore those emotions and—desires," she added intently.

"Mother, what are you talking about?" Jag tried to force a light chuckle but it only came out strangled. Suddenly he felt like a child caught with his hands in the pastry jar before dinner.

Syal never wavered her stance, she bore her intense gaze into his, "You, my son, have fallen in love with Shawnkyr." She must have expected his reaction because she immediately stepped back.

Jag jumped to his feet but he couldn't hold his anger at what should have been a preposterous accusation, because her accusation was dead accurate. He stared at her for a long moment then sighed deeply and sat back down defeated.

Syal just stared at him.

Finally, he looked up at her and said quietly, "I'm not sure when it happened but, yes, I'm in love with Kyrn."

"Does she know?" she asked as she resumed her seat beside him.

Jag shook his head and looked down at his folded hands that lay in his lap. "No, she does not know."

"Is she—" Syal began then changed tact, "Does she harbor feelings for you?"

He looked up at his mother and responded weakly, "I know she is loyal to me and would fallow me to the end of this Galaxy and has done so. She is my dearest friend and I am hers. She is my confident and we share everything." He paused and looked away again then added, "But I do not know if she loves me outside of friendship." However, Jag did not tell his mother that he suspected that she did have some feelings for him. There were times when he would catch her watching him with a gleam in her eyes that had not been there in the past.

X

Syal Fel shook her head and suddenly wondered if her son was cursed to love women who could not or would not return his love.

First, there was Jaina Solo; the Jedi who strung him a long for nearly three years then rejected him when the war was over. She was glad she never met the daughter of her husband's former academy classmate, because she would have given her a piece of her mind. Jag came back to Csilla with a broken heart after the war with the Yuuzhan Vong.

Now, he was flirting with disaster again. However, Syal feared this time would be far more damaging because Shawnkyr would not be able to apply the balm she had the last time. For, this time she would be the cause of Jag's broken heart.

"Jagged," Syal turned to him and put her arm around his shoulders. She waited for him to turn his light blue-green eyes back to her before continuing. "Jag, you have grown up among the Chiss. You know how they feel about humans. We are tolerated at best because our family has served them well over the years. Your friendship with Shawnkyr is scorned by several who feel you are unworthy of her devotion." She paused allowing her words to sink in then she lowered the final blow that she knew he would not want to hear, "Jagged, if you pursue this love for her I fear you are going to be not only hurt but very possibly ostracized from the Ascendancy."

X

Jag stared at his mother feeling like she hit him. After a moment he sighed audibly and said very quietly, "I know what you are saying is true. But I can't give up my love for her." He paused and looked away and then added defeated, "I know that I could lose everything I've worked so hard to achieve, especially if she does not feel the same towards me. But I am willing to risk it because I think she does."

"Why? You didn't wish to risk this much for Jaina Solo."

Jag turned bright eyes back to her and smiled, "That's because I did not think Jaina Solo worth the risk. I did not love her as much as I love Shawnkyr."

XXXX

Shawnk'yr'nuruodo closed the lid to her travel case and stood, placing her hands on her hips as she looked around to make sure she had not forgotten anything. She was excited about the trip Jag had sprung on her after the trouble with the rogue Jedi and the Killiks seemed to ease up thanks to Leia Organa Solo's intervention.

She and Jag were going to Zaria. She hadn't been there for well over two years and the last time had also been with Jag. She knew her father disapproved of her spending what seemed to be all of her off duty time with her human friend, but she had no one else she would rather spend it with.

She had known Jagged Fel since she was twelve and he was fourteen when they attended the military academy together. While there they formed a friendship and since then the bond had strengthened. She would do anything Jag asked and she would and had followed him anywhere. He was her best friend, her only true confident and the only person she truly trusted.

The soft knock at her door brought her out of her reverie. She turned towards the door and said in the crisp, formal Cheunh, the language of her people, "Come."

The door to her sparingly decorated bedroom that she maintained in her father's house opened. Thevan stepped through the portal and she met her father's stern expression. She could tell by the set of his jaw that he had not finished his part of the discussion they had over dinner the night before. Thevan had something else to say about what he called her wrongly placed attachment to Jagged Fel.

"Father," She stood even straighter as she said his name. Her own jaw took on a stubborn tilt. "I do not wish to discuss this matter further." Then she turned her back to him and focused on the closed latch of the travel case that sat on top of her bed.

"Shawnkyr, I can not forbid you from seeing your human friend, but others are beginning to question your blind dedication to him," her father said as he moved across the room to peer out the window at the falling snow, then he turned to face her. "People are wondering why you have not made a marriage alliance yet and they are wondering if the reason is Commander Fel."

"I do not concern myself with gossipers, Father," she responded coolly. She knew, however, that if her father was listening to them himself it was because he was thinking the same thing.

"Daughter, I am concerned that your friendship for Jag has gone beyond what is morally and socially appropriate."

Shawnkyr stared at him; her heart began to race because she knew he was correct in all that he said. She had not meant to feel this deep emotion, this attachment for Jag. It happened gradually over the past five years. She had helped him through his heartbreak when Jaina Solo rejected him and through the process became closer to him.

She could not say when her affection for him became love but it had. At first, she was appalled that she would even consider the thought of loving her human friend; however, as time went by she put those feelings aside. She had always accepted Jag and his humanity, and she decided that she could love him with the same acceptance; in some small way, it was those differences that attracted her to him. Besides, Jag was as much Chiss in his thinking and beliefs as he was human.

Realizing her father was waiting for her to say something, she sighed and said, "Father, I am quite aware of what a relationship with Jag would do, not only to me, but to my friend. I will not allow that to happen. If you want me to speak the truth then I shall. Yes, I feel affection for Jag beyond the perimeters of friendship, but I intend to keep those feelings to myself." She paused then and quietly added, "I will do nothing to harm my friend's career or his standing among the Chiss."

She knew her father wasn't expecting her to be so candid. She watched as he nodded and stepped towards her door. She turned towards him when he asked with his back toward her, "Has Commander Fel expressed any inappropriate attachment to you, Daughter?" He then turned his expression stark.

Shawnkyr met her father's sternness with her own stubbornness, "No, Jagged has never proven himself to be more than my closest friend."

"That is most fortunate for you, Shawnkyr." Then her father's expression and voice softened ever so slightly as he went on to say, "I should not have to tell you this, Daughter. You have been around enough humans to understand that they let passion and their emotions rule their thinking. Jag may conduct himself as a Chiss when it concerns his military duties, but he is still human and is still cursed by human narrow-mindedness when it concerns matters such as these. Be careful, Daughter, that is all I ask. You are an attractive female and if Jag does harbor improper desires towards you, you may end up getting hurt. Jagged Fel's exploits are well known even to me." With that Thevan opened the door and stepped through, leaving Shawnkyr pondering his words.

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Vignette Two **_(4 days later in the mountains of Zaria)

**_Over the Mountain_ **

The lush, vibrant planet of Zaria lay deep in the Unknown Regions and was controlled by the Chiss. The remote, virtually uninhabited planet was nearly completely covered by temperate and rain forests. The terrain was of steep volcanic mountains and deep valley lakes. The planetary system that it was part of was relatively new, only a few billions or so years old which meant the planet was still changing. There were no sentient life forms native to Zaria, but the Chiss had been on planet for about a hundred years building a resort and vacation economy besides the harvesting of the large hard woods that were so abundant. The animal life of the planet consisted of large, lumbering amphibians in the marshlands and mammals of all shapes and sizes, but the most interesting of the animals were the beautiful and colorful birds that made their homes in the tall ferntrees.

Jag and Shawnkyr had landed their ship at the resort landing pad that was situated at the base of Mount Glorious and on the shore of a valley deep water lake. There they acquired the needed equipment and supplies for the twelve day round trip up the mountain and down again. Mount Glorious was well known for its beautiful trails and the spectacular view of the lake below and the surrounding mountains from the lopsided ancient volcanic crater near the top. It wasn't the tallest mountain or even the most challenging to climb, but in Jag's opinion it was the most breathtaking.

He and Shawnkyr were well beyond the half way point of the trail when it came to an abrupt end as the mountain side, which had been a fairly easy hike, became a shear rock ledge. Jag watched her come up beside him and he smiled when he saw that she was breathing heavy. She was in excellent shape but she never had the stamina he did when it came to this sort of thing. He knew she enjoyed the challenge climbing the mountain presented but he couldn't help but wonder if she would have gone hiking up the mountain side if someone else had asked her.

She swallowed and put her hands on her hips as she stared up the side of the cliff. Then she turned to him in disbelief and asked in the crisp and formal language of the Chiss, "You are not pondering climbing that yet today, are you?"

His smile broadened and he responded lightly also in Chuenh that was as much his as it was hers, "Why, Kyrn, are you tiring?"

She looked up at the deep blue of the sky that had opened up as the tall trees thinned when the side became steeper and rockier. Then she shook her head and countered, still looking at the sky, "No, if you choose to go up I will follow, but the lateness of the day concerns me. There is a lot of shadow now and the hand and foot holds will not be as easy to see especially near the top."

Jag watched her as she turned her face upward and he felt his heart skip a beat. Shawnkyr wouldn't be considered beautiful in the sense Jaina Solo or his mother had been considered beautiful. She was taller and lankier than most human females; in fact, she was a few centimeters taller than Jag himself. Her face was more angular, more sculpted with a jaw line that was squarish. But she did possess an exoticness that Jag found very attractive. However, her physical appearance as he saw it wasn't the only thing he found beautiful, he loved her character. Actually, over the past five years he came to find Shawnkyr to be more beautiful than Jaina Solo ever was to him, because unlike Jaina, Kyrn was unassuming, not selfish and definitely not self absorbed as Jaina had a tendency to be.

Jag often wondered when he fell in love with his best friend, and he could never pin point a particular moment when it happened. He hadn't wanted it to happen and at first he was terrified that he could even be thinking of Kyrn in a light other than friendship. But she was always there when he needed someone. There were things she knew about him that no one else ever would, his secret fears and what she called his idealistic dreams. But then she wasn't of the typical Chiss thinking either. She wasn't completely against opening up to the GFFA, and she wasn't as prejudiced against other species as other Chiss were. No, she wasn't completely open-minded, but she could see value in anyone.

But if Jag had to give a date and time when his love of her as a friend turned into something more, it had to have started when he returned from Known Space and she helped him find value in himself again after Jaina Solo broke his heart. And it probably began with her only statement against Jaina Solo, but it wasn't what she said about Jaina that struck him, it was what she was saying about him, _"_Tako_, she never deserved you. Even I could see that she never gave herself completely to you, as you humans are so fond of saying. You are a good man, Jag, and deserve someone who will love you for who you are and not want to change you to fit what they feel you should be."_

As Shawnkyr turned to look at him again, he swallowed his reverie and quickly turned his attention to the steep cliff that reached a good twenty or thirty meters above them. After getting his feelings back under control, he faced her and smiled, "Okay, _Ailen Mel_, you win. We will camp here tonight." He paused and as he caught the slight smile of victory that played at the corners of her lips he went on to add, "But, we get up at day break and climb that cliff. The sun will be gleaming brightly on the rock face, so, you should have no problem seeing."

Jag shrugged off the backpack and dropped it near a large tree trunk a meter or so away from the trail. Shawnkyr followed suit and dropped her pack next to his.

Then after standing, she smiled at him and with a mischievous gleam to her red eyes she said, "I was concerned for you, _Tako_. I would not want you to fall from lack of light. It would have proven very embarrassing if I had to carry you down the mountain. I'm sure Cem and Wyn would never let you live that one down."

Jag laughed as he began to pull supplies out of his pack. "Yes, but weren't you really more concerned that I would have fallen on you since you would have been tethered to me. And I believe Cem and Wyn wouldn't have let _you_ live that down."

"Yes, I will admit you are the better climber than I, but I would have made sure not to be tethered to you until you reached the top." She began to pull items out of her pack and then waved a protein bar before Jag then added, changing the subject slightly, "You may want to limit what you are thinking of telling your siblings, for I carry the food and I will determine how much I share with you." She laughed lightly at his expression of mock shock, and continued, "I know what a hardship not having enough to eat would prove to be for you."

Jag laughed. It had always been a running joke between them about the amount of food Jag could eat. He held up his arms in defeat and said, "Okay, okay, Kyrn, you win." She only continued to smile.

Moments later Jag watched Shawnkyr as she gathered leaves and bark to build a fire. Suddenly, he remembered the first time she called him _Tako_,when they were students at the military academy, and he asked, "Do you remember why you started calling me _Tako_?"

She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, amusement still playing across her face. "Yes, and I believe it had something to do with the amount of food you consumed but yet you never seemed to get taller. I said that you were like a shrub that would never become a tree no matter how much one fertilized it."

Jag shook his head and smiled, "I hated it when you started calling _Tako_." Which simply meant shrub.

"Well, I did not exactly like being called _Ailen Mel_, either," she said as the fire started and then she sat down beside him. "I could not help that I could out swim you." _Ailen Mel_ was the name for a fast swimming fish on Csilla that often eluded fisherman but were delicious to eat. She was quiet a moment and looked up at him than quietly said, "But, I hope you never tire of calling me that."

Jag stared at her. Her quiet words touched his heart, "And I hope I never stop being your shrub."

They were quiet then as they finished setting up their camp under the ferntree. They finished their meal of protein bars and fruit paste as the first stars began to twinkle to life in the darkening sky. The talked about their families and about the current crisis. They valued each others thoughts and opinions but they didn't always agree. However, they respected each others ideas. Finally, they sat back against the tree trunk and became lost in the stars, wondering just how many of them they had been to. They found peace in the simple fire light, the night song of the mountain and each others quiet company.

XXXX

Two days later brought them to the old volcanic crater that seemed to take a bite out of the very top and side of the mountain. The crater was ancient and since had become nothing more than an oddly shaped plateau before the very jagged top of bare rock that made up the peek of the mountain. The plateau was covered with tall grasses, ferns, wildflowers of many brilliant colors, and a scattering of ferntree groves. They made their way over the plain to where a brook meandered across it. The stream's beginnings being at the very top of the mountain and by the time the brook reached the lake below it became a river. They were near the edge of the crater and the view truly was breathtaking of the lake below and the surrounding mountains.

Jag and Shawnkyr stood together just pondering the majesty of it all for several long moments. The sun was warm and they actually loved to camp near the brook because not only did it provide fresh water, but it also contained a relatively deep pool created when some furred water mammals used trees to damn the flow. Within the tangle of branches and tree trunks they made their nests. In the resulting pool of clear mountain water Jag and Shawnkyr loved to go swimming.

Finally, they went about setting up their camp that would be their home for the next three days. After Shawnkyr put the finishing touches to the pop shelter they used to sleep in, she turned to find Jag staring at her. He quickly diverted his gaze to look out over the mountain, but she knew the truth. It wasn't the first time in the past five days they had been climbing the mountain either, or for that matter, the first time in the past five years. She suddenly shuddered as her father's words came back to her, but not because she felt the need to heed his warning. No, Shawnkyr shuddered for completely the opposite reason, Jag's attention thrilled her.

The thought that Jag could feel more than friendship for her caused a forbidden delight in Shawnkyr's soul. She knew they should never act on those feelings. Or even admit them to each other, but the primal being in her, that last bit of humanity that was left after millennia of separate evolution, rejoiced that he could find her not only attractive but possibly desirable.

She smiled at him and said, "It is a perfect time for that swim, _Tako_. The water should be delightful after the last two days of trudging up those cliffs." The day was warm and suddenly so was she.

He grinned, raising his scarred eyebrow as he said, "I think you are right. The water should be perfect. Why don't you change first?"

She nodded and grabbed the swimming suit from her pack and ducked into the shelter. Moments later she emerged wearing a dark blue swim suite. She secretly watched him as he pretended not to look her over and she wondered if she would have the power to resist Jag if you did make an inappropriate suggestion to her.

Jag smiled at her as he too ducked into the shelter but as he did Shawnkyr was certain she saw a twinkle in his light green eyes that she had never seen there before. And suddenly, she began to think that being so scantily clothed may not be the wisest of ideas.

As Jag changed, she moved through the grove of trees to the edge of the pool. She watched the small silver fish as they darted back and forth and was startled when she heard the rustling of Jag coming through the tall vegetation. She turned to find him coming toward her, a small smile played at the corners of his lips and the sun played at dappling his muscular bare shoulders and chest in sun and shade. She watched the way his body moved as he picked his way through the ferns and wild flowers that made up the floor of the grove and suddenly felt a fire grow in the pit of her being.

She wanted to turn away, and she was momentarily appalled that she could be affected by him so easily. She had seen Jag shirtless or near shirtless countless times but she never felt this feeling of wanton desire for him as she felt now. She wanted to touch him, she wanted to feel the sensation that the sprinkling of black curling hair on his tan chest would elicit as she ran her hand over it.

Jag must have noticed her expression because he gazed at her questioningly as he came to stand beside her. She lifted her red eyes to meet his green and there was no hiding the rush of pure emotion, pure desire that ran through her.

The Chiss prided themselves for their emotional control, their detachment to what they considered base primitive passion. However, they were not impassionate nor did they not love and desire; they only controlled those emotions and rarely allowed them to show except when it was considered socially appropriate and never in public. There were passionate marriages among the Chiss, but they were few. The Chiss did not marry for love, they married for alliance and children were expected but how those came about was never something that was discussed.

However, as Shawnkyr stood there mere centimeters from the man she loved, the man she would risk every thing for and the man she would be willing to die for, her control broke. She slowly lifted a trembling hand and gingerly slid it up across Jag's chest and she gasped at he feel of him against her palm.

X

Jag watched her as she lifted her hand to lay it on his chest. The touch was as gentle as a feather but it caused his breath to catch. Her boldness surprised him but it thrilled him causing his own well controlled desire to flare. As she moved her hand upward over the hair that sprinkled his chest, he shuddered.

"Shawnkyr," he huskily whispered as he gazed into her glowing eyes. But that was enough to break the trance she was under. She quickly pulled her hand away and turned away from him. At first, Jag thought it was because she found him repulsive. The Chiss did not have course hair like humans, their hair was soft and fine and rarely did they possess body hair. However, he quickly dismissed that thought when he saw her swallow hard and that her pulse at her throat had quickened. He realized it wasn't him that frightened her, it was her desire.

And that thought made his head spin.

She whispered after a moment, her voice shaky, "I—I'm sorry." She swallowed again and tried to add as she turned her eyes back to him, "I should never…"

She never finished the thought, Jag pulled her to him and for a moment they stood toe to toe staring into each others eyes. Then he let his hands slide up her bare arms to snake around her neck. He slowly pulled the pins that held her hair in its usual tight bun at the base of her neck. She closed her eyes and slowly shook out the long, feather soft tresses of her blue, black hair, allowing it to cascade over her shoulders and down her back. It was such a simple famine move, such an erotic motion that Jag groaned, entwined his fingers into that beautiful hair and pulled her down to meet his mouth.

The kiss was gentle at first but as she filled his senses with her petal soft lips and the gentle touch of her hands on his chest, he deepened it. The passion they shared in that simple kiss was mesmerizing and when she moaned her surrender to him, Jag was lost. The need for air finally broke the kiss and he pulled away to watch as she opened her eyes. He waited for her to say something but instead she moved her arms around him. Jag's heart raced and he relished the feel of her tentative caress across his back. He kissed her again and this time the kiss was fierce in its need. He broke the kiss and slowly slid his lips over her jaw line and down her neck. She threw back her head and moaned.

He wanted her. In that moment nothing else mattered, not the fact their love was forbidden, not the fact that he was human and she Chiss, and not the fact that their friendship would be forever changed. None of that mattered because in that moment, Jag had never loved her more.

He pulled her down onto the soft moss covered bank of the brook and continued to explore her as he slid the bathing suit off her willowy form, kissing her pale blue, soft skin. He left not a centimeter of her untouched; he gave attention to her breast and her flat abdomen. She moaned as his fingers found her womanhood and he caressed her to a near frenzy.

She caressed his back and chest, her touch timid, unsure. Her kisses were gentle and yet passionate. He knew she had never been with any one else because it was not the Chiss way. Sex wasn't considered sacred; it just wasn't considered appropriate behavior outside of marriage to the Chiss. And knowing he would be her first made him ecstatic.

He finally moved over her, never taking his gaze from hers. Her breathing was as ragged as his and she moaned as he gently lowered himself. He felt the bite of her nails on his back which caused him to groan as he joined with her. He kissed her, ravaging her mouth, relishing the sweet, spicy flavor of her. Then he whispered hoarsely into her ear as he gave her a moment to get used to him and then he began to move ever so gently, "I love you, _Ailen Mel_."

"_Tako_—Oh, Jag—" She moaned and held onto him as he took her over the edge of the mountain on the tide of their passion.

X

They lay together, wrapped in each others arms as they let their breathing and heart rates slow. Neither of them said anything. They simply enjoyed the pleasure that they found in each others arms. He stroked her hair, relishing in its softness, its lightness. He had never felt anything so exhilarating.

Finally, he softly asked, "I did not hurt you, did I, _Ailen Mel_?"

She turned within his arms, lifting her head from his shoulder where she had been resting. She met his eyes and she reached out to stroke his cheek, then she shyly smiled and said, "No, _Tako,_ you did not hurt me. I never felt such pleasure before. But, I should ask if I caused you discomfort."

Jag smiled at her innocent question which he was sure referred to the deep scratches her nails caused on his back and shoulders, "No, my love, you did not hurt me."

She laid her head back down and Jag suddenly felt unsure. He knew he loved her without question. But she had not declared her love to him. He was sure she did, for, she would never have allowed herself to have been so compromised if she did not. He knew it was the human nature in him that needed her to say the words. To a Chiss actions always spoke louder than words but humans needed to hear the words as well and often believed the words over the actions.

And it was his human nature to say the words to her, which spurred him to speak, his voice full of the emotion he felt, "Shawnkyr." At her name she moved to look down at him again, her hair spilling around her face and over his chest. He caught his breath, because he had never seen her look so beautiful. He reached up and gently tucked a wayward lock behind her ear. Then he said, "Shawnkyr, I never thought I could love any one as much as I do you." When she opened her mouth as if she was to protest his words, he softly touched his fingers to her red, passion swollen lips, "Please, _Ailen Mel_, allow me this one bit of human weakness. I need to tell you this. I need you to know what you mean to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and would do any thing for you."

"Oh, _Tako_," she hoarsely whispered, "you cannot mean these things. I should never have been weak and let myself be carried away on my emotions. We can never be more than what we were. It would ruin you if the Ascendancy disapproved of our relationship and since we have no way of knowing what they would think, it can never be discovered." She paused and with her own trembling hand she stroked his face and the hair at his temple. Then she went on, her words and her openness surprising him, "Jagged, I do hold you in the highest of regards. I would do anything or go anywhere for you. I would fight to my dieing breath to keep you from harm and I would never do anything to bring you harm or shame. If that is not love then I do not know what could be. But that is also why I will not allow you to destroy your chance at success because of your feelings for me. "

As she made to get up Jag stopped her, holding her tightly against him instead. His voice edged with a sudden urgency as he pleaded, "Then let us have this. Let us have this time on the mountain. We will decide what to do for the future when we return to Csilla."

Shawnkyr's answer was to wrap herself again around his body. Pale blue next to deep tan, they lay together under the dappled mid-day sun listening to the bird song, the chirping of insects and the bubbling of the brook in the beautiful wilderness of the Zarian mountain called Glorious, where the only thing that really mattered was their love.

To be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Vignette Three **_(one year later, immediately after the Swarm War)

**_Love Will Prevail_ **

Jag and Shawnkyr were lead to their table by a silver protocol droid. They were in one of the best restaurants the Imperial Remnant planet of Bastion had to offer. After being seated at the private table Jag requested, he ordered a bottle of fine champagne. As the droid moved away, Jag smiled at the Chiss woman across the intimate table from him.

"You are staring again, _Tako_," she said without taking her eyes from the menu screen before her. But Jag could see her fighting the urge to smile by her compressing her delicate lips into a straight line.

"There is nothing that I'd rather stare at. You are absolutely breathtaking tonight." Jag was having a hard time not to stare at her. They were both dressed formally, he was wearing a simple suit of black but Shawnkyr was stunning in the floor length black gown she wore to perfection. It was fitted, off the shoulders, long sleeved, and had a low rounded neckline that showed off her long neck. The fabric was a matte black but had a slivery thread woven throughout which would catch the light interestingly, making her sparkle. Her hair was left free to fall down her back with silver clips holding it away from her face and she wore simple silver jewelry of a chain necklace and earrings, both of which Jag had given to her.

She looked up and was not able to fight the smile any longer, "You had better decide your order."

"Ah, but I already know what I want," he said and watched her eyes twinkle in the low light of the dining room.

Jag remembered the past year with a mix of emotions. He loved Shawnkyr and she loved him but they had had their share of differences and heart aches. They came back from Zaria to discover something that could have destroyed them both. But when they lost it they held each other not wanting to lose anything else. However, despite the pain it caused them they looked upon it as an omen and decided that maybe they should try to go back to being just friends.

Jag had received a promotion to captain and was given command of the Star Destroyer _Fell Defender_. Shawnkyr and the squadron she commanded were reassigned to another ship. Although, at the time Jag was furious, sure that her father had something to do with her reassignment, he was glad for it because Shawnkyr was removed from the worst part of the fighting; whereas, he was placed in the thick of it. However, before the conflict was over with the rescue of the Joiner Jedi and the destruction of the Dark Nest, she was reassigned again, this time directly under Jag's command.

Jag tried to honor their agreement to only be friends but neither of them was truly happy and their friendship suffered. Finally, after she was nearly shot down and his not being able to take another sleepless night, he had made his way to her quarters under the pretense of visiting her as she recuperated from her mild injuries. They had been lovers ever since, deciding living in secret was easier than pretending they did not love each other.

Now, the war was over. Jag had actually come out of it with several service accommodations and there was a rumor that his name had been mentioned for promotion to a Fleet Admiral. Jag did what he had set out to do; he proved his worth to the Chiss. Now, if he could prove to the Chiss that he considered them worth his talents.

They ordered their meals and toasted the end of the war. They talked about their families, Jag telling her about Wyn's latest antics and Shawnkyr related that her mother's research was bringing her back to Csilla for a short time.

"Will she be visiting you?" Jag asked between bites of the Corellian spiced nerf he ordered.

Shawnkyr shrugged and said as she picked at the mynock she ordered, "She did not say. But I am assuming she would visit Father and me during her stay in Csalpar."

Jag felt a stab of pain for her. He knew that she had been raised in typical Chiss fashion and she accepted that as the way things, but he couldn't help but wonder about Kyrn's mother. "When will Merel be home?"

Shawnkyr looked up at him from her plate and said with a note of correcting his wayward statement in her voice; however, Jag already knew Merel did not consider Csalpar her home, "Mother will be in Csalpar for two weeks, starting next week. I am hoping to see her but do not know if her schedule will allow it."

"Oh." Jag didn't say anything else. Shawnkyr's parents had what was the normal Chiss marriage alliance. Neither one loved the other. Shawnkyr had told Jag once while they were discussing such intimate details, that she sometimes wondered how they created her. They never were together long enough. Merel was an Inrokoni and a famous research scientist. She had married Thevan to alliance herself to the powerful Nuruodo House which ensured she would get military projects for herself and her family members. Likewise, Thevan's alliance to one of the best scientific families in the Chiss Empire ensured the Nuruodo House would always have top notch scientists to work for them. It was the typical Chiss match made in heaven.

Jag had only met her mother twice and he did not come away from either encounter with a warm feeling. Merel was a hard and calculating woman whose only expression seemed to Jag to be one of sternness. She was very much unlike Kyrn's father. Although, General Thevan was stern, he at least had a great sense of humor and often lost to Jag's father in Sebacc and Soontir often lost to his Chiss friend in dejarik. Shawnkyr took more after her father who practically raised her on his own. Jag somehow knew Merel would be the most against what he was about to suggest and he needed Shawnkyr to understand his argument if he held any hope of convincing her.

Shawnkyr who had been watching Jag closely for the past few moments, finally said, "_Tako_, you are far too quiet this evening. What has you wondering about my mother suddenly?"

Jag met her intense gaze and smiled, "You know, _Ailen Mel_, you have an uncanny way of reading my mind."

"That is because you wear your thoughts on your face, _Tako_, and I know you best." She smiled and then asked, "But why are you thinking of Mother?"

Jag laid his fork down and took a sip of his champagne. Then he gave her his complete attention and asked, "Kyrn, if I had been born a Chiss, what would your parents say about me?"

Shawnkyr looked down at her plate and thought a moment. Then she looked up at him, her expression and voice puzzled, "They would probably be trying to negotiate a betrothal between us."

"Why?" Jag asked, he knew the answer but he wanted to make sure she did.

"Because, you, at the moment, have one of the most promising military careers in the Fleet. But why are you asking such questions?" Shawnkyr was not one to divulge in such flights of fantasy.

Jag ignored her question and came back with another, "Okay. Why would it be beneficial for me to accept such a betrothal of a low ranking commander? Of course, we are still assuming I am Chiss but not of the Nuruodo House," Jag couldn't help but smile at her perplexed and somewhat annoyed expression. She honestly had no idea where he was going with this.

She stared at him and then said in an uncertain voice, "Because I am a Nuruodo and you are not, marriage to me would cement your place among the Fleet Command and the Nuruodo Ruling Family. Jag, I do not understand why…"

As she was giving her explanation, Jag reached into the pocket of his formal jacket. He pulled out the small box and opened it. After glancing at the object the box held, he met her questioning with and expression that forced her to let the question she asked trail. Then he smiled and said, his voice deeper with the emotion that suddenly filled him, "Shawnkyr, I told you once that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I still do. I spent this war trying to prove that I deserve you. That you deserve me." Jag paused and looked back down at the simple diamond solitaire ring and pulled it out of the box. As he nervously, fingered it, he looked back up at her.

"Shawnk'ry'nuruodo," he annunciated her entire Chiss name then swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, "Will you marry me?" Then he held out the ring, offering it to her as he did his heart.

X

Shawnkyr stared at the proffered ring, stunned. She hadn't been expecting this, but as she thought of their conversation, she should have guessed where it was going. The diamond caught the light from the lamp on their table and glittered in pure white brilliance. She knew that presenting a ring upon a marriage proposal was a human tradition that was common on several planets throughout the Galaxy, Corellia among them and that Jag's mother wore such a ring.

Finally, she looked up into Jag's light green eyes those eyes that wavered between blue and green and were so different from her own. Jag had often accused her of reading his mind, of knowing what he was thinking, but it was his eyes that gave so much away. She knew how to read him so well and what she saw in those green depths made her heart skip a beat. She loved him, there was no deigning that, but could she marry him? Could she spend the rest of her life with him?

She thought about her parents' marriage. She knew her father and mother did not love each other. They were friends and colleagues but she had never seen them so much as touch each other. Her mother had once admitted to Shawnkyr that she and Thevan had only been intimate three times, the last time resulting in her pregnancy with Shawnkyr. Shawnkyr had been young and had asked her mother about such things. She would never forget the displeasure her mother displayed at discussing such matters, but someone needed to have the discussion with the eleven year old. Shawnkyr never expected to fall in love with the man who would seek an alliance with her. She expected to have a marriage much like her parents', where she and her husband would endure intimacy to produce a child or two and then basically go their separate ways performing the duties they were assigned by their Ruling Family, each raising their children in the Chiss traditions and each reaping the benefits of their alliance.

But, now, knowing what true love felt like, knowing that Jag was there for her whenever she needed him, knowing that he loved her, knowing that he desired her companionship as much as he did her body, and knowing the pleasure she discovered in his arms, Shawnkyr could not even imagine enduring a life like her parents'.

She lifted her eyes from the ring that Jag held in a trembling hand and said quietly, her voice suddenly thick with emotion, "Yes, Jagged Fel, I will marry you, but we will need the approval of your families to ensure the Ascendancy accepts our alliance. If the Ruling Families thinks our parent's sanctioned our union then they have no reason not to concur."

Jag smiled, and said, "That is what I was thinking. We will still have our work cut out for us. But, convince them we will, even if I think convincing the Ruling Families may be easier than convincing our own." Shawnkyr couldn't help but smile at the determination behind the words. Then he asked, "Will you accept my gift of this ring as a token of my love?"

She nodded and smiled, then watched as he reached for her hand. Jag gazed at her as he poised to slide the ring on her finger. "Yes, _Tako_, and I hope you are wrong about our families because I do not know what I would do if they refuse to see it our way."

Jag slid the ring onto her left ring finger an squeezed her hand, his voice full of hope and love, "They will if we just believe our love will always prevail, _Ailen Mel_." He smiled and then he raised his glass of champagne.

Shawnkyr shook her head and laughed as she lifted her glass to meet his, "_Tako_, you have always been too full of human idealism."

Jag's only response was to smile and hold her gaze as he sipped his wine.

XXXX

One week later and after their return from the holiday on Bastion, Jag found himself pacing in the sitting room of his parent's estate which was situated outside of Csalpar. He tried to find calm, but he couldn't. He honestly had no idea how his parents would take to the news that he wanted to marry a Chiss but his instincts told him that they probably wouldn't take the news lightly. He still remembered his announcement that he was in love with Jaina Solo and how his father disapproved of her, then his biggest argument was that she was Han Solo's daughter.

He knew that his mother did not embrace the idea of him being in love with Shawnkyr and he could imagine she would be even less enthusiastic about his engagement to her. Syal had never approached him again about his relationship with Shawnkyr but he knew she still suspected that there was more than just friendship between them.

His father was truly an unknown. The old Imperial baron who had become a Chiss general was respected by the people he had made his home among, and he respected them, but Soontir Fel was still an Imperial at heart in much of his thinking. He may have been willing to raise his family among aliens and even sacrifice his life and those of his children for their causes, but would he be willing to welcome one of them into his family? Jag had no idea.

Jag turned away from the window that his pacing brought him to when he heard the scuff of his father's boots on the wood floor at the door way into the sitting room. He took a deep breath and remembered what he had told Kyrn about love prevailing, suddenly he hoped he was right.

Soontir Fel peered at Jag and he suddenly realized just how intimidating his father could appear. He was Jag's height and they had similar builds, but Soontir's short black hair was more silver than black and he wore a black eye patch over the eye he lost, giving him an almost menacing appearance.

Jag moved his gaze to his mother and swallowed. He loved his parents and he knew that they loved him but he knew how stoic and stubborn they could be and that frightened him.

"Alright, Son, you asked to meet with us. What is on your mind?" Soontir said as he and Syal sat side by side on the couch.

Jag rubbed his hands together nervously, took another deep breath and as he sat in the chair across from them plunged, "I have asked Shawnkyr to marry me and we would like to have your blessing."

For a moment he wondered if they had heard him. They both sat there staring at him. Then finally he saw his father swallow and his jaw clinch and Jag knew this wasn't going to be easy, but then he would have been astonished if it had, nothing worth anything was ever won without a fight.

"You what?"

"Jag, you can't be serious," this more quietly from his mother.

Jag swallowed the lump in his throat again and as calmly as he could say, "I feel that it would be beneficial for me to marry into the Nuruodo House. I believe that by marring Shawnkyr I can garner more support and therefore increase my chance at further promotion with greater responsibilities. Likewise, the Ascendancy would know it would always have my loyalty and my talents. Besides, I have never loved any one as much as I do her and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Soontir stood unable to contain his disbelief or his growing anger. However, when he spoke his voice as a deadly calm that betrayed very little, "Jagged, you cannot be serious. She is Chiss. I know you have been raised among them and consider yourself one of them, consider them equals," at Jag's glare, he quickly added, "and they are, but they are different." He paused and walked over to the window there he turned and continued, "I know you have embraced many of their ideals, and, truth be told, so have I, but, Son, you cannot marry Shawnkyr. I think it is time that you go to Bastion or even Coruscant for a while."

"Why, so I can meet another woman like Jaina Solo?" Jag retorted.

Soontir glared at Jag but again his voice betrayed nothing, "There are more women out there than just Jaina Solo, but if you want the truth, I would take her over the alternative." With that he turned back to the window.

Jag stood and persisted, "Why, just because she is human?"

"Yes," this came from Syal. Jag turned to her and she continued, calmly, "Jag, Tir, sit down."

Both men obeyed the quiet command and she did not speak until they both had resumed their seats. "I've been afraid that something like this was going to happen. So, you and she have been lovers all this time?"

"What are you talking about, Syal?" Soontir glanced at his wife. "You knew about this?"

She didn't take her gaze from Jag's as she answered her husband's questions, "Yes, I knew Jag was in love with her. He has been for several years." Then she asked Jag, "What happened on Zaria?"

Jag met his mother's stare stubbornly and related, "Kyrn and I became lovers. We tried to go back to being friends after…" Jag paused and he wondered if he should tell them. He felt the pain the loss brought to his heart and took another deep breath deciding now was the time to lay it all out on the line. "After she miscarried our child." Then he mentally prepared for the blast.

"She was pregnant with your child? Is that even possible?" Syal asked astonished before Soontir was able to say anything. He only continued to stare at Jag with his jaw clinched.

Jag looked down at his hands in his lap which were fisted to keep them from trembling. After a moment he quietly related, "Yes, it is possible because it happened. The reason she aborted the baby was because of the stress she was under, not because of incompatibility. She was nearly four months when it happened. When she first discovered she was pregnant neither of us had any idea what we would do." Jag looked up at his parents with a feeling of profound loss. "But once we figured out a plan, we both loved that baby. It about crushed us both when she lost him."

For several moments they sat in silence. Soontir was the one to break it, "You know it was a boy?"

Jag nodded, "Yes, and he was perfectly normal. The medic believed it was the tremendous stress Shawnkyr was under that caused the abortion."

"What was your plan?" Syal asked softly.

Jag glanced away as he said; he knew his parents wouldn't like this, "I was going to send her to live with Uncle Wedge. And once I was able to, I was going to meet her and we would be married and raise our child."

"That would have ruined you, you know that?" his father asked his voice laced with disappointment and disbelief.

Jag met his father's hard brown-eyed glare and said harshly, "We both knew that, Father. That was probably the contributing factor to Kyrn's stress. She felt like she failed me."

"So, what happened after that?" Syal redirected the conversation.

"We decided to go back to being friends. It worked until she was placed under my command and we couldn't go on pretending we didn't love each other. We've been lovers ever since."

"And now you want to get married."

Jag looked at his father and responded, "Yes, and we both believe if it appears that our parents agree, maybe even appear to have been the ones to suggest it, our marriage will be accepted by the Chiss."

"It won't happen," was Soontir's simple matter-of-fact reply.

"What? Our marriage being accepted by the Chiss or your blessing?

"Neither." Soontir got up again and moved away from them. Once at the window he looked out at the pristine whiteness of the countryside. "I do not believe in the mixing of the species, Jag. It's as simple as that."

"But why, Dad?" Jag's heart was sinking. "Obviously, there is not much difference in the Chiss and true humans or we wouldn't have been able to create a child in our first time together." Jag didn't really know that for sure, they had made love several times while on the mountain, but he had always had a feeling about that first time.

"Jag…"

Jag looked at his mother and she stopped before she could say any thing else. He got up and walked over to his father. He knew if he couldn't win their support, Shawnkyr would have a hard time being convinced to go against their wishes. He knew he needed to get through to his father. He tried the method he thought would convince the Chiss, now he needed to use a method he hoped would sway a human. "Dad, what if Mom had not been human?"

Soontir smiled at Jag for the first time, but it was not because he felt mirth, rather he recognized his son's stubbornness. Jag was a Corellian after all and Corellians never gave up easily. "Son, I would not have even looked at her."

Jag moved away from the window and stopped before the fireplace on the adjacent wall, there he turned and said, "But what if she appeared human. Let's say she was a Clawdite and you did not know and fell for her."

"Jag, this is silly," Syal smiled sadly.

But Soontir stared at Jag and his heart skipped a beat. There was something about his father's gaze. "What if you fell in love with her and then found out she was not human? Let's say you decide that you couldn't possibly be in love with something as hideous. But you find your self empty when you are not with her," something caught in Jag's voice and he turned to face the fireplace as he continued, "You are miserable because you dream about her. You worry about her safety and wonder what she is doing, and if she is thinking about you. You miss the long conversations that you have, both the serious and the silly. You miss her smile, her laughter, and you miss the way she can make you smile or laugh without even trying. You miss the wonderment and pure excitement that her simple touch can elicit. You find that no one ever made you feel this way and no one can ever fill your heart with joy like she can. What would you do, Father? Would you accept her alienness or would you spend the rest of your life searching for a human to fill the hole in your heart?" Jag sniffed, he did not want to feel the sting of tears and he squeezed his eyes closed but he knew he had lost. And he was not able to stop the flow of the tears of defeat.

X

Soontir and Syal both stared at the trembling shoulders of their son. It wasn't his scenario that held them speechless; it was his description of his love for Shawnkyr. They both looked at each other and after Syal nodded her head, Soontir quietly said, "I would love her anyway."

Jag turned and the sight of his tears surprised both of them. Soontir went on to say, "Jag, you really love her that much?"

Jag sniffed again, and said hoarsely, "More than words could ever describe, more than my career, more than anything."

"And you honestly believe the Ascendancy will approve of this marriage?" Syal asked softly.

"Yes, as I described. We both would come away from our union with an alliance that would benefit both of us, our families and the Ascendancy. "

After a moment, Soontir nodded and said, "Very well, I will give you our blessing, but will only agree if Thevan and Merel do."

X

Jag gazed at his father, smiled and quietly said, "Thank you." Then silently prayed to whatever gods were out there that Shawnkyr was having the same success.

XXXX

Shawnkyr looked up from her plate to her father and suddenly felt nervous. It was an unusual fluttering in the pit of her stomach. The only other time she ever felt like this was right before she flew into battle—not good. She hoped this didn't turn into one.

She was both glad and disappointed that her mother canceled her visit with them. She wasn't really looking forward to facing Merel with her announcement. Her father at least liked and respected the Fels. Her mother disliked all aliens. But, going through this for a second time did not exactly make Kyrn happy either.

Thevan realizing Shawnkyr was looking at him with a peculiar expression upon her elegant features laid his fork down and asked, his tone concerned, "Daughter, is something on your mind? You seem extremely preoccupied this evening."

Shawnkyr sighed and swallowed hard. She glanced down at her folded left hand which lay in her lap. She looked at the simple diamond ring and found strength in her love for the man who had given it to her.

She then met her father's gaze and announced, "Father, I have found someone who wants to make an alliance with me and I feel that it would benefit us both to proceed."

Thevan stared at her, "Do I know this man?" She knew that this was a surprise for her father and that from his tone he was concerned with her disregard for the custom of the parents of the betrothed being involved in the engagement and setting up what the alliance would entail.

She wasn't sure what to tell him but she knew the direct approach would not work. She would have to convince her father that her marriage to Jag would be a benefit to her Family House. "He is a promising young officer who has quickly moved up the ranks. He comes from a good family but he is not a Nuruodo and would like to marry into the House to help cement his future appointments. And I feel that because he is slated for promotion it can only help me."

Thevan peered at her and Shawnkyr knew by her father's expression he was trying to discern the young man's identity. There were others in the Fleet who were not Nuruodo by birth but they were few. She suddenly feared he would figure it out before she had a chance to elaborate. Then he narrowed his eyes and after a moment sternly said, "You do present quite a convincing argument as to why an alliance with Jagged Fel would be a good one, Daughter." She should have known she could not fool the great strategist that was her father. He went on to say, "Shawnkyr, please do not look so surprised. I know that you have not given up your sentiment for him. However, you can not expect me to grant you approval for this."

She looked at him with sorrow and defeat growing within her, "Why, Father? Is it because he is human? But what if he was Chiss, what would your response be?"

Thevan pushed his plate back and leaned on the table, a very casual posture for the dignified Chiss general. He looked at her and then smiled sadly, "If Jagged Fel was Chiss, marriage to him would be very beneficial, but he is not, so, there is no point discussing this further." Then he stood and turned to leave the room.

Shawnkyr looked down at the diamond ring and felt her hopes fall. Then she said quietly, causing her father to not only stop but to turn toward her, "Father, I know that I should be repulsed by him. I know that I should feel that I am superior to him because he is not Chiss. I know I should not crave his touch." she looked up at him and went on, fingering the ring on her hand, "I know I should not love him, but I do, Father. I can not imagine my life without him. I will not defy your wishes. But, I fear that the Ascendancy will lose a great asset, because Jag will not continue to serve the Chiss in the capacity he is now."

X

Thevan stared at his daughter and suddenly wondered where he had gone wrong. Then he thought about her words. It was true Jagged Fel was one of the most talented officers in the military. He was smart and he was one of the best pilots he had ever seen, save for maybe his sire. But, it was not these things that Thevan was considering as his best talent. That was his leadership ability. Soontir Fel led by intimidation and sometimes right-out fear, it came from his years of being an Imperial officer and especially one under Thrawn. Jag, on the other hand, lead by example and had a charisma about him that made those under his command like him and want to follow him. Thevan knew that was what would make Jag Fel a real leader and a powerful one. That boy had a bright future ahead of him.

Then he considered his daughter's final statement. Could the Ascendancy afford to lose such a leader? Thevan knew the answer before he even asked himself the question. And the answer was—no. But if Jag Fel could become part of the Nuruodo House, then his continued service would be guaranteed.

Thevan looked at his daughter and realized he had never seen her so bewildered. He had never loved her mother, but he loved her without question and it made his heart heavy to see her thus. He also remembered the relationship his parents had. They had a loving marriage, theirs had not begun as one, but they had fallen in love during their marriage, something he and Merel were never able or were unwilling to do. That was when he made his decision.

"Shawnkyr, I will give you my support for this marriage. The Nuruodo House will benefit significantly by bringing the Fels officially into the Family."

"Father?" She was stunned. He never rescinded on a decision.

He ignored her question and went on to say with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "You may want me to handle Merel, regarding this matter. She will not see it my way but I will convince her. I have my ways with her."

With that said he left a very stunned but excited Shawnkyr staring after him.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**_Vignette Four_** (4 months later)

**_A Future of Promise _**

****

Me'rel'irokini stood by a railing before the wall of transparasteel that lined the large hallway outside of the convention hall where her daughter just married a _human_. She could not believe it when her husband of nearly thirty years came to her and announced that he approved the marriage of Shawnkyr to Captain Jagged Fel. She had only ever met the young up and coming human officer twice before and she had not cared for him. She did not like the fact her daughter had befriended the human who had belonged to the Empire of the Hand and Thrawn's Household Phalanx, but she could at least tolerate that, but now marriage? Not to mention that Shawnkyr seemed convinced that she and the human could have children. Which Merel knew from her studies with the Imperials under Thrawn that genetically it was possible, but to think of her beautiful daughter and the human engaged in the process of begetting a child was enough to make her skin crawl.

As she looked out over the cityscape of Csalpar, she suddenly questioned her wisdom on allowing Shawnkyr to remain with her husband and be raised as a Nuruodo. However, that had been part of their alliance agreement. Their first born would be raised as part of Thevan's House, their second raised as an Irokini. And, since, she had chosen not to have any other children; she forfeited much say in how Shawnkyr was raised. Well, if she had raised her, Shawnkyr certainly would not be married to an alien.

However, it still upset her that Thevan would care so little about her wishes and concerns. She had heard that even the Ruling Council Members were puzzled by Thevan's petition to allow for the marriage of his only child to an alien and even after much convincing, the Council split in its vote three to two to even allow such a union to be legal.

The simple Chiss exchange of vows had just taken place an hour ago. Merel suffered through the shaking of hands and empty words of congratulations, as the 100 or so wedding guests greeted the newlyweds and their families. Although, her husband seemed oblivious to some of the concerned glances and looks of disapproval from their fellow Chiss, Merel wasn't. Most of the Chiss present did not appreciate attending such a degrading exposition. Of course, most of the humans present seemed thrilled by the wedding, but then, she wondered, how many of them would love to make their positions permanent by doing the exact same thing. She could only hope her daughter's farce of a marriage did not set a precedent for more.

Merel would have to say the only thing of this entire day that served not to irritate her was watching the Baroness Syal Antilles Fel almost completely ignore her brother and his family. Now, she thought that would most likely be a tantalizing story. General Wedge Antilles and family only just arrived from Hapes an hour before the ceremony. Apparently, he had attended the wedding of the Queen Mother of Hapes to Jedi Knight Jacen Solo which only occurred a standard week ago. Merel would have thought the old New Republic General would seem out of place at such a gathering and, she had to admit, she almost felt sorry for them. However, even though he was surrounded completely by Chiss and former Imperial officers who served directly under Thrawn, he and his wife surprisingly took the proceedings rather well. Begrudgingly, Merel admired him for it.

The sound of booted foot steps brought her out of her musings but she remained facing the windowed wall.

"Dr. Merel?"

She turned gracefully as the speaker stepped over to stand a respectful distance beside her at the railing, but upon identifying him she turned back to the scenery before her. She finally acknowledged coolly, "Captain Fel."

Jag cleared his throat and said, "Kyrn and I were concerned when you left. Are you ill, Dr. Merel?"

"Shawnkyr," she tastily corrected.

"Excuse me?"

She turned and glared at Jag, "Her name is Shawnkyr, not Kyrn."

"I'm sorry if my nickname offends you," Jag responded calmly. Then he added with a slight smile, "My brother, Davin and I came up with the name 'Kyrn' years ago."

"Why?" At Jag's puzzled expression, she elaborated, "Why did you feel the need to call her by a different name?" Merel honestly did not care, but she was upset that her daughter allowed this man to call her by nicknames; she knew "Kyrn" wasn't the only one. Also, she wasn't happy that Shawnkyr had decided to take on the human custom of adding her husband's name to hers. It seemed to her that he was trying his best to make her more human, and that truly upset her.

Jag simply replied to her question by saying, "We began calling her 'Kyrn' because Davin said all Chiss go by their core names and since Shawnkyr did not we invented one for her. I guess over the years it just seemed to fit and she has never asked that I not refer to her thus. I am truly sorry that my calling her that offends you." Then Jag paused and after a moment added a little more formally, more calmly, the voice of an officer facing down an enemy, she thought, "Of course, it is not my calling her 'Kyrn' that truly bothers you, is it, Doctor? It is the fact she has taken my name as hers."

Merel only stared at him, her red eyes giving away nothing. He was bright and candid, she would give him that.

Jag went on at her lack of a response, "Let me assure you, I had nothing to do with her decision to assume my name. She wanted to honor me and she felt that by observing the human custom of one spouse taking the others name, she would show our true union. Of course, our children will also carry the Nuruodo name along with Fel."

She, wanted to retort that he could have taken her name but instead turned away and asked, "Why did you seek me out, Captain?" She made sure she put an unfavorable stress to his rank.

Jag took a deep breath and said, "I want to understand why you are so against my marriage to Shawnkyr."

Merel turned completely to face him and made sure she looked down at him, she was more than a few centimeters taller than him. "I did not agree to this alliance between you and my daughter, nor did I have any say in the matter, Captain. I feel that your marriage to Shawnkyr will only serve to ruin her chances at success and by extension my family's credibility."

"How can you say that?" Jag began, again in the calm voice of a military commander, but she forestalled any further comment from him by raising her elegant long fingered hand.

"I was not finished, Captain. I will tell you." She stepped away from him and turned back to face him when she was further away to glare at him. She really did not like humans. They were always too impatient, so, she would make this one wait. Finally, she continued, "Not every Chiss sees this marriage as a great thing. Most, I fear, see it as the complete opposite. I do not like humans and most Chiss would agree with me. Thevan and his sensibilities are rare. His years of working with his uncle's Household Phalanx have blinded him. Of course, had it not been for Thrawn, you or your family would not have even been allowed in the Ascendancy." She paused and after turning away from him again she went on, "I married Thevan because I wanted to ally myself with the powerful Nuruodo Family and since Thevan also belonged to Thrawn's Household Phalanx and had important connections to the Empire, I felt it was the perfect match. I was a young, talented scientist who wanted to make a name for herself among the military. I had new ideas for weaponry and ship improvements; hence, I felt could best serve the Ascendancy if I worked for the military. However, to get the Fleet to take my research seriously I needed to marry a Nuruodo. By Thevan's connections to Thrawn and by extension the Empire, I eventually had access to some of the best scientific minds in the Empire as well.

"Of course, By Thevan's alliance to me and the Irokini Family ensured that his family had some of the best scientists working of them. Since my marriage to him, I have created several weapon systems, improved on others and secretly worked with the Empire in the days of Thrawn to improve technologies. I was among the team that invented the cloaking device that nearly destroyed the New Republic, not once but twice. I also worked on the Alpha Red Project." She stole a glance at Jag and was somewhat disappointed that he showed no emotion at all on his face.

After a moment she turned again to face him and asked pointedly, "What, Captain Fel, can you really give my daughter?"

X

Jag stared at the rather attractive older Chiss woman. Shawnkyr had inherited her mother's good looks but Jag was suddenly glad that was all she seemed to inherit from the woman who gave his wife life. Merel was cold and she was prejudiced and Jag knew this. He also knew she had not supported his and Kyrn's union or in Chiss tradition their alliance agreement as worked out between him and Shawnkyr. Merel felt that her daughter was not getting the best end of the deal. Shawnkyr had decided to add Fel to her name and Jag would be completely accepted into the Nuruodo House as a full member, however, he chose not to take the name. Any children that they were to have would be raised as Nuruodo's and would eventually serve the military. Jag however felt that the possible sacrifice of his children was more than anyone should be expected to give. It seemed to him that the Ascendancy was getting a great deal by him giving up his children along with his continued faithful service.

But he also knew Merel could be spiteful, he suddenly wondered if he had been Chiss if she would have accepted him with open arms. He doubted it, simply because Shawnkyr had chosen him for her husband and therefore, did not allow Merel the honor of choosing her daughter's husband. He had found out after their engagement became official that his mother-in-law had wanted Shawnkyr to marry an Irokini whom was not related to Shawnkyr and had began to secretly arrange the alliance with his family. Of course, she intended to do the same thing Thevan had done to her, she would simply inform him that she had arranged an alliance for their daughter and he had no say in the matter. Now, she was the one who was embarrassed because not only did Shawnkyr choose another but chose to fall in love with a human.

Finally, he got his growing anger under his strict control because the last thing he wanted to do was give his mother-in-law the satisfaction of thinking she was intimidating him or angering him. After another moment, he calmly said in his best voice of a commander, "I realize I may not have been the husband you would have chosen for Shawnkyr but I feel that I can offer her and the Nuruodo House a great deal, Dr. Merel. Within the next year I am to be promoted to Fleet Admiral after Admiral Tarskn retires. That will make me the first non-Chiss to ever hold that position and give me incredible influence on the CEDF. Not to mention, I am one of the youngest to be named. I also realize many Chiss do not like the fact that I am a human," With this it was Jag's turn to step away from her and turn towards the window, then he continued, "However, they realize that to lose me would cost them one of the best officers they have in the military. Something they know they cannot afford to lose. I could easily go to either the Remnant or to Coruscant and immediately be given my own command, however, I am choosing to stay with _my_ people and give _them_ my talents."

He paused again then faced her full front, "I am more than capable of providing for my wife and our eventual family, Doctor," he annunciated her title in the same somewhat degrading tone she had been using when she spoke his rank. He paused again and gave her his best steady stare, "Furthermore, I disagree with your assumption that by marrying me Shawnkyr has somehow damaged your family, if anyone has done that it is you." Then Jag couldn't help it as a slight smile tugged at his lips, "Because, it may be me who authorizes those new weapons and ship designs you were talking about someday, Dr. Merel, and I may chose to seek advice outside that of my personal family." He knew that the thought of being related to him was probably more repulsive then Jag's threat.

Before she had a chance to retort any of what Jag said, he quickly continued, "Now, we had better rejoin the festivities because I will not allow you to ruin this day for my wife. Kyrn would be quite disappointed if we are away any longer." With that said he turned with military precision on his heel and headed back towards the reception. The smile finally allowed to play across his features because he knew he had just put his mother-in-law in her place and showed her that soon-to-be Admiral Jagged Fel was not easily intimidated, at least not by her.

XXXX

(8 months later)

Shawnkyr made her way through the corridors with a feeling of pure delight filling her. She stopped and quickly returned the solutes of some junior officers as they passed by her. She was headed to the captain's quarters to wait for him to return from the bridge of the Chiss Star Destroyer _Fell Defender_. She arrived at the quarters and keyed in the access code and entered.

She looked around the roomy but modestly decorated quarters. There were several holos that hung on the walls, most were of family but as she looked at one in particular she smiled despite herself. It was a holo of them taken on their wedding day. She looked at the handsome human man by her side and let the smile become brighter. He was dressed formally in his dress uniform but for that day she chose to wear a long fitted dark blue gown with her hair piled high only to cascade down again. Her mother, of course, had commented on her choice of not wearing her uniform. But Shawnkyr had wanted to look as beautiful as possible for Jag.

Jag never did tell her what he had said to her mother while he was looking for her outside the hall where their wedding had taken place, but whatever it was, it was enough to earn him her mother's begrudging respect. No, Merel would never like Jag or accept him but she at least now respected him, something she hadn't before. The thought of her mother suddenly reminded Shawnkyr what lay in store for her.

She stepped away from the wall to sit on the couch that was center stage in the private sitting room of Jag's quarters. She did not officially share this space with her husband. That would have gone against protocol. She had her own quarters but she spent most of her off-duty nights here. As she sat down, she gently laid her hand on her still flat abdomen and wondered just what kind of mother she would be.

Then she remembered:

X

"_Ailen Mel_, are you okay?" Jag said from the doorway of the 'fresher of her quarters. He was standing there shirtless wearing only his underwear and had a concerned expression on his sleepy face.

Shawnkyr did not answer him in words; instead she retched again and vomited more of the unpleasant bile that seemed to fill her stomach the past few mornings. Finally, she was able to stand and she wiped her mouth on a towel. She felt terrible and she knew she probably looked a sight. She glanced at Jag as he stepped further into the small cubical that was made for only one person. He laid a hand on her bare back and guided her out into the bedroom and sat her down on the small bed that they had shared the night before. She knew he would soon have to leave her to sneak back to his own quarters before the rest of their squad awakened but she was glad he was with her now. She had never been one to be sickly, so, to be this way now for over a week was actually beginning to concern her.

As he helped her pull on a robe she said in a rough voice, "I do not know what to think. I have never been this way before, _Tako_. I am concerned that I may have caught something while we were on Zaria." (Now, as she remembered she could smile at the irony of what she had said.)

They had returned from their monumental vacation only three weeks ago. They returned to Csilla to discover they had being assigned together with a ship that would patrol the border between Chiss space and the Killiks former planets where there were reports of the insects having begun re-colonizing again. They had also made the decision to remain lovers. Both of them knew the dangers of that, but after admitting their feelings neither one of them could walk away.

"I think you should go to medical and have some tests done," Jag said as he brushed her wayward hair from her face. "Get dressed and we will go there now before our tour is to start."

"But you need to get out of here," she protested but she really did not want to be alone.

"No, I'm your friend and superior. We can simply say you called me because you were concerned and did not know who else to turn to." Jag stood and found his flightsuit and proceeded to dress.

She slowly followed suit wondering if she really wanted to know what was wrong with her.

Two hours later they received the news that could have ruined them both.

"Commander," the young Chiss female medic looked at Shawnkyr, her expression one of concern mixed with disapproval. "Your test results are back." Then she turned to Jag who had been staying with her the entire time under the pretence of a concerned friend and her commander, "Sir, if you will excuse us, I need to speak with Commander Shawnkyr privately."

Shawnkyr looked up at Jag as he began to move away from the counter where he was standing. She could tell that he did not want to leave her but propriety demanded it. Her voice stopped him as she looked back at the medic, "Please, Dr. Aliki, Commander Fel is my dearest friend and I do not wish to hear this alone."

The doctor threw a disapproving look at the human then turned her attention back to Shawnkyr. "Very well." Then in a voice that betrayed nothing she announced, "Your tests indicate that you are about a month and half pregnant."

Shawnkyr would never forget the tidal wave of emotions that went through her that moment at that simple announcement. She did not dare look up at Jag, and she was glad that the doctor kept her gaze focused on her. For, Shawnkyr could only imagine the expression on his face; neither of them even realized it would be possible for them to conceive a child, let alone one so soon.

Finally, Shawnkyr quietly said in an unnaturally shaky voice, "I—I'm pregnant?"

The doctor stepped away, clearly, critical of the whole thing, "Yes, Commander, I ran the test twice because I know that you are unmarried."

While the medic's back was turned as she drew up a hypo of some sort of medicine, Shawnkyr finally stole a glance at Jag. He was staring at her surprisingly with an unreadable expression on his face but she could tell by his brilliant green eyes he was totally stunned and amazed. She then turned her attention back to the medic who turned and said rather matter-of-factly, "It is still early enough in the pregnancy to terminate if you so desire. The procedure is rather quick and requires no recuperation time."

Shawnkyr instantly knew she could not do that. This child complicated an already complicated situation but she couldn't in any way terminate it. This child was created out of love and she could tell from that one stolen look at Jag, he was feeling the same as she. "No, Dr. Aliki, I will have to discuss this with the father."

The doctor nodded and replied, "Very well, let me know what you decide. Now let me give you something for the sickness you have been experiencing and I would like to put you on quarters today. By tomorrow you should be back to normal."

Shawnkyr nearly laughed at that last, she knew her life would never go "back to normal" again.

X

Shawnkyr would never forget those next few months. She had never experienced anything as stressful as her first pregnancy. She and Jag were both utterly amazed that they could create a child. Jag insisted it happened their very first time but she wasn't as convinced. He wanted the baby; she saw it in his eyes every time she looked at him. However, she saw it as a burden that neither of them was ready to take on, but she also loved her baby too, it was a part of Jag after all. She did not know what to do and Jag's answer was to send her to live in the GFFA with his uncle, General Wedge Antilles. Which she eventually agreed to but she knew that would ruin him and it would ruin her. She was Chiss and she couldn't believe that she could live in Known Space for the rest of her life. Her years during the war had been enough for her.

She knew she hadn't taken care of herself as she should have. She had lost weight and she didn't sleep. Her anxiety level had never been so high and she had no real methods of coping with it. She had never been so scared in her life. She did not want Jag to suffer what she knew that he would if he was discovered to be the father.

Two months after discovering she was pregnant that first time she lost her baby. Shawnkyr had never experienced anything that both relieved her and grieved her as much. As she looked back up at the picture of the happiest day of her life she thought about one of the worst:

X

"Shh," he murmured into her hair as he held her after returning from the medical bay where she had just miscarried their three and a half month old fetus. The same medic, who first told her that she would be a mother, had examined the baby and informed Shawnkyr that he had been perfectly formed and had seemed to have been progressing on schedule. However, the doctor said that stress and anxiety could cause a lot of problems and she could tell Shawnkyr had been under tremendous stress. If the doctor suspected the child was half human she never said, nor would she, Chiss doctors were bound by the strictest of confidentiality polices. But to be sure, Shawnkyr deigned having any further testing done on the child. She could not afford the doctor learning that Jag was the father and no matter of testing was going to bring her baby back.

She was in her quarters and Jag had stayed with her. He held her and rocked her as they mourned the loss of their son. Shawnkyr clung to him mostly because she felt the torment of so many conflicting emotions and she wondered if Jag did to. She felt profound sadness, pain and disappointment, she felt sorrow and grief, but she also felt great relief and guilt for feeling that way.

They didn't talk, there were no words that could be said. Jag held her and she held him. Then finally after a long time she softly broke the silence, "_Tako_, I think we should think about not being so physical now."

He pulled away and looked at her, she could see the moisture in his eyes but he did not cry but his voice was full of the pain he was feeling, "I know, _Ailen Mel_. I do not want to ever put you through this again. I know you did not want to leave the Ascendancy." He cupped her face and gently caressed her high cheeks. She suddenly felt the sting of tears for the first time in years.

"Jag, I don't want to end what we found together but I cannot go on living a lie. The pregnancy was not the only thing that caused me stress." She reached up and began to stroke the soft hair at his temple. "I will always love you, _Tako_, but we cannot live like this. "

Jag finally let the first of the tears slide down his cheek and she felt her heart break as he whispered, "I know, _Ailen Mel_. Maybe if you had not become pregnant so soon we could have figured out what we could do. I will always love you, too. But I too think we were better off as friends."

With that said they both let their tears fall and Jag kissed her for the last time until neither of them could stand living another lie: the lie that they were only friends.

X

The sound of the door sliding open brought her out of her reverie and she looked up and smiled at the man she loved more than anything in the Galaxy as Jagged Fel stepped into his quarters.

X

Jag gazed at his wife of eight months and smiled as he joined her on the couch. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers and then he leaned in and gently kissed her. As he pulled away he said, "This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you were on the opposite shift and would be sleeping now."

She smiled and said, "I needed to do something today during the normal day cycle. I will start my rotation tomorrow."

Jag then said teasingly, "So, you decided to spend your last free evening with me. I'm flattered, Commander."

She laughed lightly and said, "Well, Captain, it was you who assigned my squadron night patrol. I thought maybe I could persuade you to change the schedule."

He pulled her more into his arms and as he nuzzled her neck he whispered into her ear and enjoyed the shudder it brought to her lithe form, "You know, I could do that but I think it would not go over very well with the other squads." He then kissed her neck at the pulse point and delighted in her sigh. Then he added in her ear again, "Of course, with enough persuasion I could choose to ignore the others."

As Jag was about ready to claim her lips in a passionate kiss, she turned her head slightly. Puzzled and more than a little disappointed he inquired, "Kyrn? You know I'm only joking. I can't pull you off your rotation."

She reached up and cupped his face and as she watched him, she smiled. Her behavior was truly baffling Jag. Then after a moment she said, "I hope our children look like you."

Jag chuckled and said, "I've often wondered what they would look like."

"We will soon be able to find out."

Jag stared at her then she laughed softly and said, "You will make a wonderful father, Admiral Fel."

He smiled, "I won't be an Admiral for another two months and that part about being a father isn't going to happen for awhile."

"True, but you are going to be a father sooner than you think."

Jag opened his mouth to protest but then he actually processed her meaning. Then he just stared at her opened mouthed as a wave of emotions filled him. She must have seen them expressed on his face and in his eyes because she broke into a big smile that lit up her beautiful pale blue face. Finally, he stammered, "You—you're pregnant?"

Still smiling she nodded, "Yes, _Tako_, I just found out today. I am two months." At his concerned face amidst all of the joy that passed over it, she added as she stroked his face, "Everything is fine. The baby is progressing normally and there seems to be no complications. Jag, we are going to have a baby." She ended with a light laugh of pure joy.

Jag watched her for a moment then he crushed her to him and kissed her with a passion that was brought from the total happiness she had filled his life with. He could not imagine his life if he hadn't fallen in love with his friend and she with him.

Fin

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This leads to where Jag and Kyrn appear in _**Always Have, Always Will**_...

Be on the lookout for the next companion vignette that tells of the romance between Tahiri and Valin..._**The Strength to Go On**_...

Reviews are always welcome...

Thanks everyone for reading...

Flowerlady


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